Make way for Mama

Ex-El Pasoan basks in 'Desperate' role

As the TV show "Desperate Housewives" began to hit its stride, one woman stole the show from the younger cast.

Lupe Ontiveros, a former El Pasoan, guest-starred as Mama Solis, the mother-in-law of Gabrielle Solis, played by Eva Longoria.

It was an experience that Ontiveros enjoyed immensely.

"The
producer called me and said they were writing this character for me,"
Ontiveros said in a phone interview. "That woman is written incredibly
delicious. She's a middle-aged Latina who completely blows these women
away because she doesn't fit stereotypes."

In the story line,
Mama Solis visits her son and daughter-in-law and soon finds out
Gabrielle is having an affair. Along the way, she reveals herself as an
experienced gambler.

Northeast resident Pam Cook has been a fan of the show because of its realistic stories.

She
said she can relate to some of the issues Felicity Huffman's character,
Lynette Scavo, has to deal with as the mother of four children.

Cook said Ontiveros' character was right on the money.

"She is so typical of a mother-in-law, especially one who has a son and she thinks he can do no wrong," Cook said.

The
future of Mama Solis is up in the air because she is in a coma. She was
hit by a car soon after catching her daughter-in-law in the midst of
her affair.

Cook expects to see Mama Solis again.

"She's
too good of a character," Cook said. "She has to come back. Maybe we'll
see her come back protecting her son. I don't think we've seen the end
of her."

Ontiveros compared and contrasted her character to some of the younger housewives.

"She's
a lot like Marcia Cross' character (Bree Van De Kamp) in that she will
fight to the end to protect her family," Ontiveros said. "She's quite
the opposite of Susan (Mayer, played by Teri Hatcher). Susan is passive
and kind of missing the boat until it hits her right in the face."

Ontiveros said the writing makes the show stand out.

"Every scene was so well-written, so on the money, so precise and so well- conceived," Ontiveros said.

The show's fans have told her which of her scenes they liked the best.

"It's
funny how people react to different scenes," Ontiveros said. "They'll
tell me, 'You're a no-nonsense woman, I love when you beat them at
their game of gambling. There's nothing they can do to you because
you've done it all.' "

Ontiveros said she is hopeful that her portrayal of this strong Hispanic woman will open the door for other actresses.

"Hopefully,
we, who some might call us pioneers, that are still struggling in doing
these kinds of roles will make it safe for them to write more
characters like this," Ontiveros said.

One of the show's strengths is that it is built around an ensemble cast and not one central character, Ontiveros said.

"That
formula has worked so well before," Ontiveros said. "It comes from the
shows like 'Dynasty' and 'Melrose' and it lends itself to a diversity
of writing."

Cook said she likes the multiple story lines because they are indicative of soap operas, which she also enjoys.

Westsider
Courtney Butterworth tunes into the show because of the fashion,
especially what Susan wears. She also enjoys the stories.

"It
stands out because it's risky, especially for older women. It's an
escape from reality," Butterworth said. "It's like an adult 'O.C.' I
don't think the stories are that believable. Like I don't think my
mom's sleeping with one of my friends, but I guess you never know. It's
just fun to watch those things on the show."

The popularity of the show and her character has amazed Ontiveros.

"It
seems like I've crossed all barriers with this," Ontiveros said. "The
mayor of Houston, city council people, they've all come up to me to
talk about the show. They'll say 'My wife loves the show' and I tell
them, 'You love it too, admit it.' Males are watching the show too,
which is great."

"It's
one of the best shows I've seen in a while. With TV shows, it's always
been what the male thought, and here it's being told from the female
point of view. You ask yourself, 'Is that really what they're
thinking?' "

In classic soap opera style, the show's writers
leave it up to the imagination if Ontiveros' character will wake up
from her coma.

"People see me in a coma, and they ask me what will happen," Ontiveros said.

"I
would certainly love to come out of it and kick some more butt. They
should bring her back at the most inopportune time for Gabrielle.

"One of your deepest fears is what is going on in the mind of your mother-in-law."

Ontiveros
then thought what must be going through Gabrielle's mind, which could
turn the heat up on the scorching show even more:

" 'Does this old broad remember what I did and if she does, what is she going to do with me?' "

All about Lupe

• Ontiveros is a graduate of El Paso High School and lives outside Los Angeles.

•
She portrayed Doña Carmen in the movie "Real Women Have Curves" for
which the Sundance Film Festival rewarded her with a Special Jury prize
for acting.

• She voices the character of Abuela Elena on the
animated TV show "Maya & Miguel" on PBS. "She's a really sweet and
energetic kind of abuelita, very realistic," Ontiveros said. "She's
very sharing and giving. She goes to baseball games; she teaches them
about our culture."